>> Her appearance last month at Premiere Vision's fabric fair was for a reason, after all — Jil Sander just signed a "design consulting agreement" to oversee men's and women's wear at Uniqlo, marking her first official return to fashion since she left her eponymous label in 2004.

She will not have an official title at the company, but basically, she will be taking over the creative for all products excluding accessories and children's wear.  Sander is also collaborating with Uniqlo on a special collection bearing her minimalist touch, which will launch for Fall 2009.

The match seems ideal, considering that Uniqlo focuses on simple lines and fabric innovation, which will mesh with Sander's aesthetic, but as Style File points out, she's not done very well with collaborations in the past — she left her signature label due to conflict with Prada CEO Patrizio Bertelli twice.

Or maybe she's pulling a Phoebe Philo.  After Phoebe left fashion, she returned quietly to consult at Gap for a couple of years or so before coming back into the high fashion fold; maybe that's what Jil has in mind?
*image: source